Rise Up
by HappyHardcore
Summary: A Diva's rise in the WWE... this is a repost and I have not changed WWF to the new WWE


And there I was standing on the top turnbuckle, the woman's championship in hand. A bright smile plastered on my face. Even though I knew I was going to win the championship at Wrestlemania, a few days before it even happened, actually doing so was indescribable. The fans were going nuts, not something that usually happens in a Woman's title match. But we were in my hometown, and my hometown was on their feet for me. It was hard to fight back the tears of happiness that threatened to spill down my cheeks. Somehow I managed to fight them back. I climbed down off of the ring and headed to the dressing room to the chants of "Gloria" ringing in my ears. Everything was wonderful, but they didn't start out that way. Before I begin my tale let me tell you to set yourself up and get comfortable because this is going to be a long, long night.

My first day in the WWF was not close to what I had expected it to be. I had a dark match with Nidia before the Smackdown taping and I had gotten to the arena a little bit early to do the proper protocol. Namely introducing myself to the biggest and baddest dog in the yard. Several superstars lined the backstage area chatting. Every single set of eyes was on me. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever felt in my life. They were all judging me, trying to figure me out. I even heard a couple start a pool as to how long I was going to last. I found the designated women's locker room, and left my duffle bag. I stepped out and I did not have to search long for the Undertaker. He was chatting with Vince McMahon.  
  
Vince saw me and smiled. "Hello Machaila (Mack-eye-la)." He smiled.  
  
"Hello Mr. McMahon." I replied softly. I took a deep breath. "I really don't know how to do this without coming off like an idiot." I began. "My name is Machaila and it is an honour to know that I will be working with one of the best in the business." I extended my hand to the Undertaker. He smiled warmly.  
  
"You did not come across looking like an idiot." He smiled. "That was probably one of the nicest introductions I have had in a long time. Best of luck to you and welcome to the WWF." He shook my hand and continued on with his conversation with Vince. I started to walk away when Vince called out.  
  
"Machaila, we have a stage name for you, you will be Gloria. We are presently working out the last of the details of your character before you will see TV time."  
  
"Thank you Mr. McMahon." I grinned. So far I thought that things were going pretty smoothly. I was humming to myself when I re-entered the locker room to start getting ready for my match. Stacey Keibler and Nidia were going through my bag. I cleared my throat. "Can I help you with something?" I asked.  
  
"We just wanted to borrow some stuff." Stacey smirked.  
  
"Yeah." Nidia laughed and they both left the room. They had emptied all my toiletries into my bag, all over my wrestling gear, towel, and boots. I could hear them cackling down the hallway. The Undertaker poked his head in the door.  
  
"For future reference, don't leave your bag unattended until you are liked in the locker room. If you go to wardrobe they will get you something to wear for your match tonight." He winked.  
  
"Thanks." I sighed. I rinsed everything out and headed to wardrobe. They gave me an Attitude T-shirt and black bicycle shorts. I managed to get my boots cleaned out, they were a little damp but I would survive.  
  
I changed and headed out to the gorilla stand. Since I was the newbie I was introduced first as Gloria. I had generic music and I walked calmly down the ramp to the ring. The adrenaline was amazing. The crowd was hot, though they could care less about the unknown woman heading into the ring. They did cheer when Nidia was announced.  
  
It was probably one of the fastest matches I had ever taken part in. I was destined to lose, but I gave the best performance I could and that Nidia would allow me. She refused to sell my moves, and used a lot of stiff shots on me. Otherwise the match went pretty well. While Nidia celebrated her win in the ring I slowly made my way back like I was badly beaten. Vince McMahon greeted me backstage.  
  
"You did a great job out there despite certain obstacles." He patted me on the back. "We will need you to be in Connecticut this Thursday to discuss your new character and what we expect from you. Enjoy the show." And he walked off. I went to the dressing room and had a shower. I got dressed in the clothes that I had arrived in and sat back in the green room to watch the show. None of the wrestlers seemed interested in getting to know me. I should explain that right now while I am thinking of it. I came into the WWF at a time where the roster was bursting at the seams and they should not have been hiring at that time. However, there were a couple of Indy Feds that were scoring TV deals and starting to gain some fame. Vince heard about me through some feelers that he had sent out to keep an eye on the fresh talent. He signed me before the other companies could get a deal for me to look at.  
  
I am not the greatest wrestler out there but I am a lot better than most of the female roster in the WWF… but then again that really is not much of an achievement.  
  
Back to my story… I was in the green room and it was like I wasn't even there. Nobody seemed to acknowledge me; I wouldn't have been surprised if a Superstar sat on me thinking I was part of the couch. They all seemed to be treating each other as if they were extended family.  
  
"I can't believe that new whore." Nidia burst in. "I got in shit because she was so sloppy in the ring. Vince said I was no selling, whatever." She was in the throws of a huge temper tantrum.  
  
"Nidia cut the bullshit we saw the match. You didn't sell a damn thing, she was good considering what you were dishing out to her." Jeff Hardy replied. "Besides she is sitting in the corner."  
  
"I don't care. It's not like she is going to last long here anyways." Nidia stormed off. I sat silently. I was being watched for what kind of reaction I would have. If there were a word to describe my face at that moment, I would have to say stoic.  
  
The next few weeks I was subjected to all kinds of torments. There was the hazing, the no selling of my moves, and the worst part the cold shoulder. I was pretty lonely as I had no family and no really close friends as I was always on the go. Nobody seemed to be interested in getting to know me. There were more than a few nights where I cried myself to sleep. But somehow I made it through it all.

My character, "Gloria" started out as a manager for the team of Chuck and Billy. Since I had a lot of friends of the gay persuasion I gave them tips on how to be flamboyant with out being flat out gay. We were soon a hit. (This is a fan fic… anything can happen) The whole character was to be totally hot for Billy, and well we all know the story there, Billy was hot for Chucky. We were no team extreme by any means, but we sure got a lot of laughs from the crowd.  
  
However close the three of us seemed on TV, behind the scenes we were only talking business. There was no hey how are you type conversations. So even though the hazing seemed to have ended after a couple of months, the superstars were still apprehensive about getting to know me. After all it appeared that a lot of the pranks that were pulled didn't really phase me, it did I just never let it show.  
  
One night I had decided that I was going to go shopping and spend some of my newfound wealth. I saw Amy Dumas and Nora Greenwald (Lita and Molly Holly respectively) in the mall. They were laughing about something. "Hey it's Machaila!" Molly smiled. They came over to my surprise.  
  
"Hey Machaila!" Amy smiled. "So, who are you here with?"  
  
"Hey guys, I am just here with my usual circle of friends. Me, myself, and I." I joked.  
  
"Well we just got here, if you want you can hang with us." Nora said cheerfully. "I just love shopping." She was literally beaming.  
  
"She doesn't get out much." Amy teased. "So, where are you headed?"  
  
"I overheard that they have a huge shoe sale on at the other end of the mall." I grinned.  
  
"Shoes? Sale? We are so there!" Amy and Nora said in unison. They each grabbed my arms and two friendships were forged in the quest of the perfect shoe. We must have bought the whole mall by the time we were finished. We also got to know each other pretty well and they understood my twisted sense of humour. They had also decided that Machaila was a mouth full and that my nickname would be Mac. I had taken a cab to the mall, so they drove me back to the hotel. We were signing badly with the radio, having fun like teenage girls do. It was the beginning of the happy days that lay ahead for me.  
  
At the hotel Matt, Amy's boyfriend was in the lobby with his brother Jeff and good friend Shane Helms. The three of us were talking excitedly and almost didn't see them.  
  
"Amy where do you think you are going?" Matt laughed.  
  
"Oh hey, sorry we are on a different planet." Amy kissed his cheek. "So, whass'up for tonight?"  
  
"We were thinking about going clubbing, if that is alright with you ladies." Shane replied.  
  
"Fine with me." Nora smiled.  
  
"Fine with me, Mac, what about you?"  
  
"Fine with me." I replied. "If it's fine with the guys."  
  
"If you are in with Amy, you are in with us." Jeff smiled. "Welcome to clique extreme."  
  
"She is really more Canadian Mafia." Shane joked. "After all she is from Manitoba."  
  
"Hey I live in Calgary now." I smiled.  
  
"Well, girls go get your butts in gear, we are going to grab some chow before hand." We agreed to meet back in the lobby in about an hour.

After that night of clubbing I became good friends with the NC crowd. Amy, Nora, and myself were inseparable. No more lonely nights for me. They were now pretty much sleepless nights from all the partying we did. It was great. I finally found a family on the road, and as the days went on the rest of the crew came around as well. Everyone, well except Nidia, soon accepted me. She really seemed to have a grudge against me.  
  
The Undertaker also seemed to take me under his wing giving me advice when I needed it. He was like a big brother to me. I also noticed him chasing a way a few of the younger wrestlers that were trying to get to know me on a more personal, no that isn't the word. They wanted to tryout a few wrestling moves in their hotel rooms.  
  
Around December, Nora was sent to OVW to train a few of the new female wrestlers Vince had hand picked. Then Matt, Jeff, and Amy got early holidays and they went home to North Carolina. Everyone was gearing up for the time off. Out of our little clique, it was me and Shane left. We hung out a little bit, but he still had his WCW friends that he spent a lot of time with when the rest of our group was gone. It was after the last RAW taping and he found me looking kind of down.  
  
"Hey Mac, you're looking pretty down, whass'up wit dat?" he smiled.  
  
"Ugh, I am not the biggest fan of the holiday season." I replied sadly.  
  
"But Christmas is the best time of the year, lots of pressies." He smiled boyishly. "You should be excited about going home and seeing your friends and family."  
  
"Uhm, you guys are my friends and family." I sighed. "I was one of those sorry tales of being given up for adoption and then went from foster home to foster home. No ties at all."  
  
"Oh, so what were you planning on doing for the two weeks off?"  
  
"I thought that maybe I would just bum around for a while."  
  
"You are not spending another Christmas by yourself." He smiled. "It just so happens that my travel agent had booked an extra trip to Cameron. My family and the Hardy's and the Dumas's are all getting together. It would be perfect if you were there too." He smiled.  
  
"Actually that sounds like a great idea." I smiled. "But you are sure that no one will mind?"  
  
"Everyone adores you Mac, we leave right after the Smackdown taping tomorrow night, so make sure you bring everything to the arena." He got up and started to walk away. "Are you hungry?"  
  
"Yeah, I was just going to get pizza and watch a little TV in my room, if you want to join me you are more than welcome." I smiled.  
  
"That would be cool." He smiled as he put his arm around me and we began walking to my rent a car. "Do you have a rental?" I asked.  
  
"I came with the Dudley's today, and I think they left without me since I was yakking to you."  
  
"Then I guess you will be riding with me then." We made small talk to the hotel. He went up to his room to shower and change into something more comfortable. I did the same. He came down in sweats and a black wife beater. I was wearing a black tank top and flannel pj's. We decided to order Chinese food rather than pizza and had a really good pig out. We watched re-runs of All In The Family and MASH, and then we ended up talking. I found it really easy to open up to him about my life growing up and how I never really had anything special for a birthday.  
  
"Mac, when is your birthday?" He asked.  
  
"Christmas Eve." I sighed. "Going to be the big two seven." I smiled.  
  
"That is a harsh time to have a birthday."  
  
"It would be if I had family to forget it because of Christmas." I replied.  
  
"Well, I have a feeling that starting this year your birthday is going to be cause for celebration." We ended up talking until four in the morning and we fell asleep in my bed. We were sleeping on top of the blankets. I woke up at around noon. Shane was snoring softly beside me. It was at that point that I realized that waking up next to him could be a very good thing. I smiled as I got some clothes and went into the bathroom to get dressed. When I came out he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"Good morning." I smiled. "Go get yourself dressed and lets go work out before tonight's taping."  
  
"Mac, come back to bed." He said drowsily. I smiled. I climbed in beside him and started to tickle his ear. He swatted my hand away, but I was persistent. He finally had enough and threw me on my back and had my arms pinned over my head. "You should have just come back to bed young lady." He smiled. He then began tickling me all over. I was killing myself laughing. But somehow I got him back and between all this tumbling around the bed we rolled off onto the floor. Our faces, so, close together. Our eyes were locked together and it felt like an eternity that we lay there like that. He brushed the side of my face with the back of his hand. "So beautiful." He whispered. His lips barely brushed across mine when he shot up. "Oh Christ, I am so sorry Mac." He sat on the bed and sighed heavily.  
  
"What are you sorry for?" I asked.  
  
"This can't happen, you and me. I can't let it." He sighed.  
  
"What are you talking about… we had a moment and it has passed life goes on we are still friends."  
  
"Thank you." He smiled. "I think I need that workout now. Why don't we check out now and we can hang out or something, as you know like uhm, friends would." He was rather jumpy.  
  
"Sure Shane. I will meet you in the lobby in fifteen." I was thoroughly confused by his behaviour, and mine. I never realized that I even had feelings for him and it appears that he has feelings for me. But for some unknown reason he didn't want to pursue anything. I quickly packed and had just finished checking out when Shane came up to the other counter to do the same. We took my rental to the gym where Shane took it hard and heavy on the bags. "Shane man, chill." I smiled as he hit the bag hard and I went reeling.  
  
"Mac." I am so sorry." He helped me up. In his eyes I could tell that there was something there between us. He realized it too, as he sighed softly. "This royally sucks." He sat down on a bench. "I have a girlfriend back home." I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. "That is why what happened earlier should not have happened." He got up. "I am going to hit the steam room, I need time to think." He got up. I sat there stunned.  
  
"Hey there darlin'." Mark drawled. "Why are you lookin' like you lost yer best friend?"  
  
"I don't know what the hell is going on." I sighed as I leaned back against the wall. "Life is way too freaking complicated." I gave Mark the quick run down of what had transpired over the last 24 hours.  
  
"Well, my honest opinion is this, if his travel agent double booked the flight why didn't he get it squared away already. I think that he has taken a likin' to ya, and I know from the locker room his girlfriend is not the best girl for him." He patted my shoulder. "You should probably hit the showers and think about grabbing some chow while it will be safe." He smiled.  
  
"Thanks Mark, you are one of the nicest people I know."  
  
"Shhhh I am the American Badass, you can't let that whole nice guy thing get around." He laughed. "See ya'll later sweetheart."  
  
"Bye Mark." I smiled and quickly headed to the showers. Shane was waiting in the reception area. "Let's go grab some chow." I smiled at Shane.  
  
"You're not pissed at me?" He seemed relieved.  
  
"What reason would I have for being pissed at you?"  
  
"The whole thing in the hotel room, me kissing you and having a girlfriend back home."  
  
"Shane, the kiss that was shared in my room, was merely a butterfly kiss in passing. I am not pissed off at you." We headed out for lunch and Shane seemed to be his usual relaxed self again. The Smackdown taping went without a hitch. There was some dissention planted between myself and Chucky and Billy. Shane and I headed right to the airport and we were off.  
  
A catnap and a few hours later we were greeted at the airport by Shane's girlfriend Cheyenne.

When I saw Cheyenne I was amazed by her beauty, she was tall, blonde and could make any man drool. She threw herself at Shane planting a big full kiss on his mouth. She then gave me a look that basically said "He's mine, now back off bitch." It was evident that Cheyenne and I would not get along. Shane looked rather uncomfortable. I shrugged it off, as I knew that he had someone in his life, whatever had passed between us should be left in the past. They walked ahead hand and hand. It hurt a little as I was jealous, but there was nothing I could do. The ride to the house was really quite uneventful; Cheyenne lead the conversation to topics of her liking. We pulled up to a beautiful Colonial home.  
  
"Home sweet home." Shane sighed. An older woman who had the same eyes as Shane burst through the front door.  
  
"There is my baby." She squealed excitedly as she threw her arms around him. A look of disgust swept over Cheyenne's face. "Hello Cheyenne, nice to see you." Her voice went flat. "Oh and you must be Machaila, I have heard so much about you from the others already, and what I hear from Shane you have quite the special relationship." Her excitement returned. "Shane your father is talking with the Hardy clan and Stewart. Come on in, we are just about ready to get supper on."  
  
"You mean you haven't started dinner yet?" Cheyenne groaned. "It is almost 6:30, you know I have a class tonight."  
  
"There is a McDonalds in town if you are hungry dear." Mrs. Helms smiled. We entered the house it was beautiful inside. Very tastefully decorated.  
  
"You know Macaroo or whatever your name is, lay off of my boyfriend. He is my trophy, not yours." She whispered into my ear. "Nice try of worming your way into the family though, you probably had to beg Shane to take you." She sneered.  
  
"Cheyenne come on." Shane seemed impatient. "I told you I wanted to have a chat with you when I got home and I meant it." He seemed a little annoyed. "And since you are still going to your class we don't have much time."  
  
"What class do you take?" I faked interest.  
  
"I do yoga." She smiled at me. "Keeps my figure svelte and sexy, you should try it sometime to get rid of those pesky love handles."  
  
"Cheyenne, she is a friend, you be nice to her in my home."  
  
"That's okay Shane, if she thinks that I need to take some yoga classes maybe I should join you. It would be refreshing I think."  
  
"You can't come with me." She sounded surprised. "They are very particular as to who shows up, oh look at the time, my ride is here. I have got to go, Shane darling we will have that chat when I get back, I promise." She smiled. "I'll bet it ends with a ring." She said softly to me before she left.  
  
"Mac, I am so sorry about the way she is acting. She is a little possessive and once she sees that you are not a threat she will loosen up a bit." Shane said sympathetically.  
  
"I am cool Shane, besides I think that I will enjoy her hating me more than her trying to be all nicey. At least she is being honest to me and I feel that is more than anybody else is getting. Yoga class, my ass." I said as I started down the hall. "Which room is mine?"  
  
"Depends on which hotel you are staying at." Shane looked pissed.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"You are obviously too jealous of Cheyenne to stay here, I think that maybe you should go stay at a hotel."  
  
"Shane, this is our house too." Amy snapped. "Like hell you are going to make my best friend stay in a motel, Cheyenne was a total bitch to her and you know it. And I agree yoga class my ass. In fact let's take a drive down to the community hall and see if they are really holding a yoga class." She grabbed her jacket and started out to the door. She opened it to see Cheyenne kissing some guy. Shane had disappeared into the kitchen. He was obviously pissed off at me. Amy closed the door quietly.  
  
"The worst thing is he will never believe us that we saw her with another guy. Matt, Jeff, and I have known that she has been a cheater from day one. Shane wants to see the good in her, and quite frankly all I can see is a pretty face and that is all on that one. It's such a waste of beauty."  
  
"I feel bad that I offended Shane. I shouldn't have dissed his woman like that." I sighed. "I think I should leave."  
  
"Like hell you are. I know that Shane's mom already adores you. She was going off on how much she liked you compared to Cheyenne." She smiled. "I'll show you around and introduce you to all the family." She smiled. First she showed me my room and then I got the grand tour of the house. I met their families and got along great. Amy, her mom Louise, Shane's mom Gloria, and myself slaved in the kitchen to make enough food to feed a small army. We were half way through dinner when Cheyenne returned from her yoga class. She looked rather dishevelled, her lips were bruised and the most tell tale sign was her shirt was not buttoned properly. She staggered through the house and went upstairs. Shane seemed oblivious to her appearance. I rolled my eyes and Shane shot me an icy glare, but when I looked beyond it I saw his anger was not directed at me. Maybe he did know what was going on, but I wasn't voicing my opinion to him until I was in his good books again. After dinner Shane helped the rest of the guys with the dishes then retired to his room.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Matt asked.  
  
"Mac told Shane the truth as she saw it and got upset." Amy replied.  
  
"He normally likes it when I tell him like it is."  
  
"Well when it comes to Cheyenne he likes to live in his fantasy world." Jeff replied.  
  
"Are you talking about Shane's girlfriend?" Gloria asked. "If anybody should be president of the Break Them Up Club it is me."  
  
"Why don't you like her?"  
  
"She lied to my son. A lie that is going to come out this Christmas if I have anything to do with it." Anger flashed in her eyes. "Shane had broken up with her shortly after Machaila joined the WWF. A few weeks later she called him up and told her that she was pregnant. Shane being the gentleman that he is got back together with her. However I see her around quite a bit and she doesn't seem to be pregnant at all, if you know what I mean."  
  
"What a bitch." Amy spat. "Sorry Mom Gloria. I just can't stand her."  
  
"There aren't many people who do like her." Gloria smiled. "Well I should be like the rest of the other old fogies and get my butt in bed. Machaila, whatever Shane said to you earlier, he didn't mean it. I know that he cares about you more than you think."  
  
"I know." I sighed. She went up to bed.  
  
"Did something happen that we should know about?" Amy was beaming.  
  
"Well, last night we watched TV and ordered in some Chinese food. We ended up falling asleep in my room. I got up first and got ready for the day then I tried to wake him up and I was not very nice. I started to tickle his ear, then he threw himself on top of me and we ended up tickling each other and we fell off the bed with him on top of me, and we had a moment where we almost kissed, well we did but it was a butterfly kiss, barely there. Then he acted all weird all day, and we almost had another moment at the gym and he told me that he had a girlfriend."  
  
"Wow." Amy smiled. "He really likes you a lot." She grinned. "Eventually he will come around." She smiled. The next few days passed with Shane spending his time with Cheyenne. It was Christmas Eve, my birthday. Since Shane was mad at me nobody knew about our conversation that we had earlier in the week. I was a little down in the dumps but with all the preparations for the following days festivities and me having to do some last minute Christmas shopping I barely had time to breathe until the evening. Amy and I stumbled into the house carrying parcels. There was a card and a single red rose sitting on the counter. My name was on the card. Once my arms were free I opened it up. It was from Shane. It read.  
  
Mac,  
  
I feel really bad about all the things I said to you. I can't stay mad at you any longer and I hope that you had a wonderful birthday, even though I am a jerk for overreacting. Can we please be friends again? Not talking to you is killing me inside.  
  
Happy birthday! My sweet Machaila.  
  
Love Always. Shane xoxoxoxoxo  
  
"It's your birthday?" Amy asked in disbelief. "Why didn't you say anything? If I would have known we would have done something extra special."  
  
"It's alright Amy." I smiled. "Shane has done enough for me to be happy." I sighed.  
  
"I heard my name." Shane looked like a lost puppy dog. "Are we friends again?"  
  
"Shane we always were." I went up to him and gave him a hug."  
  
"You know you two are under the mistletoe." Gloria grinned. "You know what that means."  
  
"Mom!" Shane laughed. "Oh alright." He leaned in to give me a friendly peck on the lips but his lips lingered on mine, it was like he wanted to deepen the kiss but was not sure if he should. Then he slowly opened his mouth and the kiss continued and deepened slightly. I felt like we were the only two people on the face of the earth and that the kiss lasted an eternity. When it finished the kiss seemed to linger on my lips. There was a sound of breaking glass. We all turned to see a very angry Cheyenne in the doorway.  
  
"You slut." She spat. "That is my boyfriend you were kissing, I am carrying his baby you know."  
  
"Oh about that… I saw some garbage that doesn't necessarily go along with being pregnant." Shane began. "Cheyenne we are through. I should never have taken you back when my heart belongs to another."  
  
"You are breaking up with me for her." She seemed shocked.  
  
"Cheyenne, I wanted to wait until after Christmas to see if there was anything left between us. There never was and never will… I think you should pack your bags and go stay at your mothers."  
  
"You haven't heard the last of me." She spat. She walked up to me and slapped me in the face. "Your ass is mine."  
  
"Whatever." I laughed.  
  
"You are not going to want to remember Shane when I am done with you, you dirty little whore."  
  
"That certainly is the kettle calling the pot black." Gloria piped up. "WE saw you at the tavern leaving with two men. You hussy."  
  
With that she finally left the house.  
  
"Well you certainly gave me a birthday to remember." I smiled as I kissed him again.

It just felt right to be in Shane's arms even though he had just broken up with a long-term girlfriend. She was obviously all wrong for him, though the thought of rebound relationship did echo through my mind. But he seemed like he was cool and from here on in it was time to take things a little slowly. I never really had a boyfriend up until this point. It wasn't like I never wanted one, I just never had the time or if one was interested in me they were put off because I was a wrestler. Or they thought they could ride my coat tails and get them a push in one of the Indy Feds to get noticed by the WWF. There you have it, I guess you can say that I was a virgin and that reason alone is enough for me to take it slow.  
  
"It is about time you two got together." Amy grinned. We had retreated to her room for much needed girl talk.  
  
"How do you mean?" I asked.  
  
"Shane has had this huge crush on you since you first came to the WWF. He felt really badly about all the ribs that were pulled on you, but as bad as it may seem we have all gone through it and it is a big part of tradition, if he would have interfered you would have received more punishment and he would be hazed all over again as well."  
  
"That pretty much would have sucked." I smiled.  
  
"If they would have just moved on to him though, he would have interfered in a flash. He just knew that your misery would have been prolonged and he could not bear to see you like that."  
  
"I always thought that no one liked me at first. I was so lonely, the ribs I could handle. The only person that would talk to me was Mark. He is a great guy and I love him to death, I just wanted to have companionship of people around my own age." I sighed.  
  
"I really hope that you don't take this the wrong way, but Mark saw something in you when you came here, something that is rare in the female wrestler type. He saw it in me, Nora, and even Trish. A whole -hearted love for the business. The other girls just see wrestling as a stepping stone, we eat, sleep, and breathe the business. So your ribs were like ours, really not too bad. Nidia got the full brunt of it and that is why she is such a bitch to you. She thinks that you got off easy and she tells anyone who will listen."  
  
"I really am not a huge Nidia fan, after my first match with her and she ran around saying I made the match a stinker, ugh, I just wanted to introduce my hand to her face."  
  
"Well let's talk more about you and Shane." She grinned.  
  
"You were the one who started the conversation about the initiation." I smiled. We spent a couple of hours discussing the whole Shane thing. Amy agreed with me that it appeared that Shane was not on the rebound and it was safe to proceed. There was a soft knock on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" Amy sang sweetly.  
  
"It's Shane, is Mac in there with you?"  
  
"Yeah, I am." I replied as Amy opened the door. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I thought that we could maybe go for a walk or something." He smiled/  
  
"That would be awesome, Amy we will continue our conversation later." I hugged her and I followed Shane downstairs. We slipped on our jackets and headed out of the door.  
  
"What were you guys talking about?" He asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Stuff." I replied with a grin. "She was telling me why Nidia hates me and some other stuff."  
  
"Ahh, so you know that I have admired you from a far for quite sometime now." He smiled. I nodded. "In case you were wondering, I tried to break up with Cheyenne the day after I saw you for the first time. I thought that I was being fair, since I thought that she really loved me and how could I love her if all I could think about was you. So I broke up with her, two weeks later she calls me and tells me that she is pregnant and so I take her back. I wanted to do the right thing, even when something in the back of my head is saying don't trust her. My mom even called me when she saw them leaving the Tavern with two guys. Then when she said that she had that yoga class I knew that she was lying too, I just didn't want to believe it. Then I was in our bathroom and saw all this friendly visitor paraphernalia in the garbage I knew that she was never pregnant. I should have trusted my instincts in the beginning, then I didn't have to restrain myself in the hotel room, I am babbling." He laughed.  
  
"It's alright Shane. I like the sound of your voice. I missed it when you were ignoring me. I should have shown some tact about Cheyenne, but for me to strongly dislike someone in a matter of seconds after meeting them is not a good sign, and her being your girlfriend didn't really put her in my good books. You were right, I was jealous." I smiled.  
  
"There is no need for that, you now have me all yourself." He slipped his hand into mine as we walked. We came to a park and he led me to a bench. We sat down. "Machaila, I know it seems kind of sudden, but if we are going to pursue this relationship, I am in it for the long haul, and I want you to be too. I like you a lot."  
  
"I am with you there, but I never had a boyfriend before so take things slow." I said softly.  
  
"Never had a boyfriend?" He seemed surprised then the realization hit him. "You NEVER had a boyfriend, NEVER EVER?"  
  
"Nope, I am as pure as they come." I blushed.  
  
"That is wonderful." He smiled. "No pressure, after Cheyenne I am not ready to hop into a sexual relationship." He kissed the top of my head. I snuggled in close to him. "Happy birthday." He smiled.  
  
"Thanks Shane." I smiled as his lips found mine in a gentle kiss. We soon headed back to the house where everyone was singing Christmas carols. We joined the group.  
  
"Machaila you start the next one." Amy smiled.  
  
"Uhm, Okay, I guess I could." I said nervously. I started to sing The First Noel. Nobody joined in, once I finished the first verse they applauded. "You were all supposed to join in." I laughed.  
  
"You have a beautiful voice." Gloria smiled.  
  
"Thanks." I sighed. We all started the second verse in unison. I snuggled beside Shane; his parents were practically beaming with joy. At midnight we all decided that it was time to turn in. Shane walked me to my room. "Thank you for bringing me here, I am truly having the time of my life." I hugged him.  
  
"I am glad that you are having fun." He smiled. "You are forever welcome in my home." He kissed me gently. "Goodnight my sweet Machaila." He headed off to his own room, which I noticed was next to mine. I fell asleep dreaming of him and what may come.  
  
The next morning Jeff woke me up by jumping on my bed. "It's Christmas!!" He chirped. "Come on Mac it is pressie time." He pulled me out of bed. Shane came in laughing.  
  
"You know Jeff I could have woken her up, after all she is my girlfriend now."  
  
"I'm sorry man." Jeff pouted then broke into a shit eating grin. "But it's Christmas. Mac come as you are nobody wears their clothes to open presents."  
  
"But I don't want to see you naked." I teased.  
  
"You wear your pyjama's silly." He shook his head. I found my slippers.  
  
"I am brushing my teeth first though." I headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Jeff had gone to wake up the rest of the household. Shane watched me as I washed up and brushed my teeth. Once I was done he pulled me in for a kiss. We joined everyone downstairs, the smell of fresh coffee was all I needed to go and help myself.  
  
I was amazed at all the gifts that were for me, I had bought everyone a gift, but it appears that Santa went a little nuts for me. Even Matt and Jeff's dad got me a little something. I sat there and I was overcome with emotion.  
  
"Mac, what's wrong." Shane came over to me and hugged me.  
  
"I am fine." I smiled. "It's just that this is my first Christmas where I wasn't alone in my apartment watching TV and eating leftovers. It's amazing what you have all done for me these past few days. Thank you for making me feel welcome in this time of family."  
  
"Machaila you are so sweet." Gloria gave me a hug. As did everyone else.  
  
"I am sorry I lost my grip on things. I just got a little overwhelmed." I smiled as I dried my tears.  
  
"Machaila, just remember the ride is just beginning." Jeff smiled.  
  
The rest of the holidays were amazing. I grew closer to my circle of friends and Shane's family adored me. We came back to work and everyone was shocked to see me and Shane walking around backstage hand in hand. I now shared a room with Amy, as they had to keep their relationship a secret, as did Shane and I. Although we always had joining rooms so we could switch so Amy and Matt can have some private play time. Shane and I were waiting for the right moment where everything would be perfect. I new that he loved me, and I loved him.  
  
At work I had left Chucky and Billy and was now wrestling on my own in the women's division. I was doing really well. When it was announced that Wrestlemania was to be held in Calgary, I was ecstatic. They viewed me as a hometown hero. I was up against Jazz for the women's title and I was to win it that night. Well, that kind of brings us back to the beginning of my story. Though it is not over yet. After the title match where Y2J one the title as a face, Shane went down to the ring. The crowd was starting to leave, when Shane took the microphone.  
  
"There has been a lot of speculation on the Internet about my personal relationship of that of the character you know as Gloria. The rumours are true; Machaila McGregor and I have been seeing each other for a while. Even though we have not been dating that long I love her with all my heart, and I want to call her out. Machaila please come down to the ring." I was stunned as I made my way to the ring. I climbed through the ropes for the second time that evening. Shane got down on one knee. "Machaila, will you marry me?"  
  
Tears were already streaming down my face. "YOU know I will." I replied as we kissed in front of all the fans. The whole place erupted in cheers. Amy came running out to be the first to congratulate us. It was a good night, but it got even better….

I was not prepared to find that Shane's family was there as well. They met us backstage and since Vince knew about the proposal weeks before there was an engagement party held backstage for us. We shook up the place for a while and then Shane and I decided to go back to the hotel. His parents had taken an earlier flight, as they had to be at work the next morning. The drive to the hotel was a silent one.  
  
"So, when would you like to get married?" He asked. "We can do this however you want."  
  
"Would your parents be pissed if we eloped?" I asked. "You know grab Matt, Jeff, Nora, and Amy fly down to Vegas tie the knot and be back in time for Raw in Edmonton?"  
  
"Are you sure about this?"  
  
"I really want to save myself for marriage and well, quite frankly I really don't want to wait anymore." I smiled. "You have been a perfect gentleman not trying to force your way into my pants, no matter how hot and heavy the kissing got. Lord knows there were a few times where I was ready to just say to hell with it and make love to you, but you always knew when to bring me down slowly."  
  
"Hang on." He smiled. He called his parents and asked them if they would be offended. They were very happy with us. We then drove back to the arena to grab our friends.  
  
"What are you kids up to?" Vince asked as we tried to sneak the rest of the group out to the parking lot.  
  
"Uhm nothing." Shane said blushing.  
  
"If you two are planning on eloping, I suggest that you use my private jet, that way I know the Hardy's, Lita, and Nora will all be back for Raw. The only stipulation is you take a camera man with you so we can show a clip or two of the ceremony and an explanation for your two weeks off." Vince smiled. I threw my arms around him.  
  
"You are truly an amazing man." I squealed. Vince hugged me back.  
  
"Not as amazing as you." He kissed the top of my head. "No go before I decide to fire all of you." He joked. He made the arrangements for us to get to Vegas while we got to the airport where his private jet was waiting.  
  
"This is so awesome." Amy squealed as she hugged me. We were all having a great time on the flight. We landed a couple hours later; we were all to pumped to even think about being tired. First we went shopping, I needed a white dress after all I was still virginal. I put my tangle of curls in a loose ponytail and wore a simple white sundress. We all met at the "Little Wedding Chapel" which was open 24 hours. Shane had bought a suit. The WWF cameraman was filming it all. I was a bundle of nerves up until it was our turn. I was fine. I was marrying the man I adored and all was right in the world. The ceremony was beautiful but quick. Amy and Nora took a pile of pictures with a disposable camera; the cameraman said that we would get a copy of the tape once they fix it up a bit. Nora, matt, Amy, and Jeff all headed back to the airport to get back to Calgary in time to catch the bus to Edmonton. Shane and I rented a luxury suite in one of the finer hotels.  
  
We rode up the elevator holding hands. We got out and he carried me over the threshold. Inside there were flowers everywhere and hundreds of candles lit. There was a hot tub that was already to go. And the view was breath taking. He carried me over to the bed where he gently lay me down. He removed my shoes and his before joining me on the bed. He kissed me slowly and deeply. His hands gently caressed me. My whole body tingled.  
  
"You don't do a thing except enjoy yourself." He kissed my earlobes, I moaned softly. He could tell I was very nervous. He got up and put on some music. He pulled me up and we started to dance. He continued to kiss me and work his magic. The straps of my dress slipped off my shoulders, he leaned down and kissed where they were. He slowly reached around and unzipped my dress it fell to the floor leaving me in my underwear. He smiled at me, to reassure me everything was ok. He removed his shirt, tie, and pants. (Socks too) "If you want me to stop just say so." He smiled. He danced with me a little more to get me relaxed. I began to kiss him more deeply and more passionately than before. He led me to the bed where the last of our clothing was shed. I was trembling as he first entered me. There was initial pain, but the pleasure soon took over. WE came together in an explosive orgasm that brought tears to my eyes.  
  
"Are you alright Machaila?" He asked as he kissed away my tears.  
  
"I am truly the happiest woman on the planet right now. God Shane I love you."  
  
"I love you too." He smiled.  
  
Needless to say we rarely left our hotel room as I had a lot of catching up to do in the sex department. It was amazing every second of it. Shane always seemed to outdo himself.  
  
We returned from our holiday a little bow legged and tired as we rarely slept. Everyone cheered for us. We bowed and acted like our silly selves.  
  
About a month later, I was wrestling Nidia. She was the only one there who was not happy to see me. I got ready for my match and Shane came to see me off at the gorilla spot. He kissed me good luck even though Nidia was going to be squashed. The match was very rough as Nidia was doing her best to make the match a stinker.  
  
"Don't you know how to have a good match?" I taunted in the ring.  
  
"Maybe if you knew how to wrestle you home wrecking slut."  
  
"Home wrecking slut?" I asked.  
  
"Cheyenne was my cousin." She gave me a stiff shot to the face. I had to think quickly, it was evident that the ref was going to do a fast count the next time I went for a cover, or I thought better of it. She may do her best to throw me off.  
  
"Girls Vince doesn't want a shoot fight here." The ref hissed. "Mac pin and we are outta here.  
  
"I think not. I am going to stay here until I leave the champion." Nidia laughed. I gave her a low blow and got myself disqualified. The ref was relieved. I started to do my post match celebration on the top rope when Nidia came behind be and shoved me off. I landed hard on my abdomen. I was in a lot more pain than I should have. I saw Nidia's face. She was laughing at me. The ref came out of the ring immediately.  
  
"Mac, are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"I hurt a lot." I choked out as I was racked with a violent cramp. I screamed in pain and it felt like I had wet my pants, the felt soaking wet. The camera was nowhere near me. I knew that something was up. A real ambulance crew came rushing out and loaded me on the stretcher. The fans were chanting my name, but I was in excruciating pain it was just noise. As soon as we got backstage I was rushed to the waiting ambulance. Shane's match was supposed to be next and he had his make-up on. He got in with me cape and all  
  
"Sweet Machaila." He stroked my hair, kissed my forehead, and held my hand. We were rushed through emergency where the set me up in a gynaecology room. The medics cut away my pants they were soaked in blood. That was when I began to panic. "Shhhh, my sweet." Shane did his best to keep me calm. Within minutes a doctor came in to do an internal.  
  
"I am so sorry, but you lost your baby." He said sympathetically.  
  
"Baby?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes. "I was pregnant? Oh My god I killed our baby." I sobbed.  
  
"Mac, it's alright." Shane said as a rebel tear streaked down his face. "These things always happen for a reason. Besides we didn't know, it was too soon to know." He held me as we both mourned the little loss. Vince McMahon appeared in the doorway. He had a very solemn expression on his face.  
  
"Shane, Machaila I am so sorry to hear about what happened." He came over and held my hand. Linda McMahon joined us in the room. "I know that this is not the time or place for this, but I am feeling this loss, not as much as you are but, oh hell how do I explain this." Vince was visibly upset.  
  
"Vince start from the beginning." Linda said softly. "I am fine with the circumstances and you know that. I won't get mad again for something that happened 27 years ago."  
  
"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked.  
  
"Machaila, about 26 years ago I had an affair with an intern at the office. Low and behold she got pregnant. I swore the baby wasn't mine while she was pregnant, even after the baby was born. She was angry with me and felt that she should give the baby up for adoption to give her baby a loving family. Machaila I am certain that the baby was you. I had a DNA test done from a strand of your hair and it is a match." He sighed.  
  
"I need to think." I was stunned. "Could you all leave me alone, please, you too Shane I need to sort this out in my head. This is unfucking believable. That certainly was lousy timing, why didn't you tell me sooner?"  
  
"WE just got the test results back this morning. I was going to tell you before all this happened, I was waiting for you to finish your match." Vince looked ashamed. "I wish I would have known sooner, Machaila." He squeezed my hand. "Shane let's go grab some coffee." Vince and Shane walked out. Linda remained.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you not to be too hard on Vince. He was ready to tell you everything before I suggested he get the DNA Testing done. That was my fault and I apologize. He is really proud of you and he is saddened by the loss of our first grandchild."  
  
"That is why Vince was always so nice to me." I sighed. "It's weird I went from having no family not quite a year ago, to family popping up all over the place." I smiled. An orderly appeared.  
  
"I am here to take you for an ultrasound." He smiled softly. "We'll be back in a jiffy." He pushed the gurney down the hall and onto an elevator. They had me ready for the ultrasound in minutes.  
  
The technician started to do her job. She paused and got up and called the doctor. "I think you want your family to be here too." She smiled. She got an orderly to search them out. The doctor arrived first followed by my family.  
  
"Machaila," the doctor smiled. "You are still pregnant with twins." Shane threw his arms around me." I am going to be a daddy."  
  
"And I a mommy." I smiled back at him. From that day on and forever after we lived, laughed and loved.  
  
  
  
The End


End file.
